Kurosaki Origins
by Levan
Summary: Isshin and Masaki were originally two distinct beings, before they were intertwined into a single, prestigious destiny. This is the story which marks the events that lead up to the birth of none other than Ichigo Kurosaki himself. Isshin x Masaki.
1. Chapter 1: Something Amiss

**A/N:** My second Bleach fanfic! Yay! This was inspired by a certain Bleach Manga Chapter (hint: it has a 7 on its number) and I just decided to write this.

I'm making this story as canon as I can, and I know one way or another, I'll slip up and cause a contradiction on the main storyline. So, please point those out to me so I'll stand, corrected by none other than you. :D

This will only be a few chapters, and will mainly focus on Isshin. Enjoy! Reviews are highly appreciated. Constructive criticisms are very much welcome, and I don't really like flames.

Disclaimer: I want to own Bleach, but I can't, really. I wish I could.

**Kurosaki Origins**

**by**

**Levan**

**Chapter 1:**

* * *

----------------------------------------------**Something Amiss**----------------------------------------------

* * *

Blood poured.

A hollow, in its dying form, reached out to its killer. A crescent-shaped Zanpakuto was what it could discern over its fading vision – almost as if, figuratively, had the form of a moon, and the edge was stained by its own blood. Its next meal was nothing more than the pivotal factor for its demise.

Isshin had been appointed to Karakura Town that day. And surprisingly, he was also one of the few people who actually adored going to the real world – the place was nothing more than a pigsty for most. The living world was a haven for the hollows, but not for Shinigami. Else, it's that factor which most Shinigami despise upon.

But no, not for Isshin. He was more than happy to be here after so long – being a captain, it's not common to be appointed to the living world. But with the strange upheaval of the reiatsu in the area had attracted the most vicious of Hollows, and appointing just any Shinigami besides Vice-Captains or Captains would just be plain suicide. So with a little constrained effort, he managed to convince his grandfather to station him into Karakura town.

The Hollow he had encountered here was mere child's play. It does, however, prove to be quite stronger than most other Hollows he had encountered before, but like the rest of them, they were the cannon fodder of Hueco Mundo – just simple pawns under the order of higher classes of Hollows.

Isshin dug into his sleeve and pulled out a rag. With the small cloth, he wiped the blood off of his Zanpakuto with a single stroke and returned it into its holster once it reverted back into its original form.

"Thank you."

He had forgotten completely that he had saved someone from that Hollow, being too distracted by the anticipation of another kill. He turned around and faced the direction of the voice.

Like what he previously observed, the victim was a woman. She had long, curly orange hair tied that extended down her back. Her eyes glazed with a fiery shade, possibly due to the adrenaline that was brought up when she was chased by that Hollow. Those two eyes retained its oddly sparkling, dark brown eyes, and her face was of the purest of features – people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but Isshin was guaranteed that no one would ever think of her as an unattractive woman.

He knew of course, she was a soul of a formerly living human being, and he had to perform Konso on her immediately before she attracted any more Hollow. Yet, he noticed her chest, and the Chain of Fate was nowhere to be found.

_What the hell...?_

"Thanks a lot for helping me. I... I thought me and my brother were the only ones who can see these things!"

He rubbed his chin and thought about the situation, ignoring her completely.

_She's dead, isn't she? But if she were, the Chain of Fate, broken or not, would still be attached to her chest, but... What the hell is going on here? _

"Umm... Mister...?"

_Oh what the heck. I'll just perform Konso on her anyway._

"Are you a –"

Her phrase was cut short when Isshin unsheathed his sword.

"W-what are you going to do with that...?"

"Don't worry. It'll be painless, I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Isshin raised his Zanpakuto and aimed directly at her forehead.

_Here goes nothing..._

He pummelled the hilt of his sword onto her forehead as forceful as he can, thinking that it would help if she was somehow resistant to a Konso, and closed his eyes. This was followed by a heavy thud and the noise of someone plummeting down on the ground.

He opened his eyes.

_Oh shit._

Isshin kneeled down and tried to wake the unconscious woman. Her forehead was bleeding, and more or less, the guilt inside of him had already started flowing.

"Lady, you alright?"

No response.

"Goddamit! What the hell did I just do?!"

He looked around – fortunately no one was present. Not that he worried about being seen by anyone, practically because he was invisible to everyone around him, but it was probably best to look first before carrying her, else she'll look like she's floating in the air.

With his shunpo, he glided down the town blocks in a fairly low amount of time, and sought after shelter. Looks like he had to put his healing prowess to the test – if he would be lucky enough not to worsen it, at the least.

-

The sky grew dim and after a while's worth of waiting, the sun finally settled down and the moon became dominant over the evening sky – Isshin stared at the wonder of the sight and praised the cosmic heavens for such a beauty to his eyes. The trail of the streams of sunlight had faded dead away and the stars hovered once again. Unlike the Soul Society, perhaps one of the most intriguing features of the living world was the city lights that dawned over the horizon – at the height of the building he was in, he could see a mile away from his position, hundreds of different illuminations scattered about across the suburbia, as well as the streets and mall centers. He liked the sight as opposed to the dull and unappealing torch lights of Seireitei.

But still, no matter how relaxing the night was, he was still stricken with an unfortunate dilemma that practically had his job as a Shinigami near to its demise. Attacking a living human being was against the law, and no matter how obviously easy it is to follow this rule, he had broken it. Well, so much for the chance of taking a sweet vacation in the living world – it just twisted into a nightmare with a simple, yet very dumb mistake.

Over the course of her recovery, he had gazed at her, and wondered. Besides her untarnished beauty, she possessed an incredible amount of reiatsu unlike ordinary humans. It was probably due to her reiatsu that she had inadvertently attracted that Hollow a while ago, and could also be the probable reason on why how the hell she could see him. There was something about her that he wanted to find out, but she had to recover first. Questions could probably come later.

During that glance, she motioned in her improvised bed. She was waking up already, and Isshin was pretty much surprised that she could sit up after a hit in the head like that – he knew he had at least an ample amount of healing power, but it wasn't _that_ great.

"W-where am I...?"

"You're in an abandoned building a few blocks away from where we were."

She touched her forehead and felt the cloth that was wrapped on her head to close her wound.

"I'm very sorry about that. I thought you were a soul, and I had to perform Konso."

"Umm... It's okay." She stretched her arms widely and returned her gaze to him.

" What's a Konso, anyway?"

"It's something we Shinigami do to send living souls to the Soul Society."

As far as he knows, someone like her would eventually lead to another question, but astonishingly, she didn't. She stared down, and the darkness eluded him from observing her face. He had an odd feeling about it – there was something she wasn't telling, and one thing's for sure, something he said had an impact on her.

"I... I need to leave. I need to leave, right now."

"You have to stay here for the night; you can't walk easily with that condition. Besides, it's late already."

"I'm sorry but... Please, Mr. Shinigami. You have to let me leave, _right now_."

The uneasiness he perceived in her brown eyes was more than enough to tell him that there really _was_ something she was hiding from him.

"What's the big hurry then?"

"It's my brother. He's –"

She was then again interrupted, when a shimmering arrow of a fluorescent blue shade pierced Isshin's shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2: Bound by Blood

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!

Well, I have nothing much to say, except that this time, I really think there will be a lot of story contradictions in this chapter. Please point them out for me, if there's any. **Take note **of some of the terms where I marked an asterisk - I'll explain it as thoroughly as I can in the end of this chapter.

As before, I appreciate reviews and criticisms. Thanks, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach... obviously.

**Kurosaki Origins**

**by**

**Levan**

**Chapter 2:**

* * *

----------------------------------------------**Bound by Blood**----------------------------------------------

* * *

A cascading figure immersed into the isolated streets below.

He was tense –he held his bow with shaking hands. With as much will as possible, he straightened his grip and let himself relax. The night won't be over yet until he finds her. And it would ache him so to find her dead.

The glasses-wearing college student had more than enough problems with his responsibilities already. He never knew another problem would be added to the mess. He hated her for doing this to him, yet she was his responsibility – and in no way in hell would he abandon her.

The reiatsu in the area were fortunately crisp and clear – being around with her a lot, the man was familiar to her specific and discernable reiatsu and its distinct shape was perfect for tracking her. He has sensed a lot of Hollow reiatsu pouring in lately, but not a trail of Shinigami scum. At least he's aware that the only ones who could attack her were weak hollows, and the charm he gave her would be enough to repel them. But still, the feeling of regret remained no matter how he thought of the situation – if only he could've responded less aggravatingly to her, she wouldn't have thought of leaving his presence without his permission. Even more of his concern was based from the fact that she had not returned for hours on end. He anticipated her arrival much earlier than this.

If only she was stronger, he thought dearly, but she had to be the fortunate one to not possess the same powers he had.

He neared her location as quick as possible, using Hirenkyaku to its fullest potential. It would probably tire him out quicker than he should, but he didn't care nonetheless. A single arrow from his bow was enough to take care of a Menos Grande, thanks to the teachings of his father.

And like him, Ryuuken was destined to be a Quincy. And he loathed being one, much to his dismay.

He glided down the town blocks with as much effort as possible and went down to the direction of her reiatsu. He stopped dead in his tracks, however, when he sensed another, more immense reiatsu forming through his senses.

Captain-level Shinigami. With all the luck, he had to fight someone terribly stronger than him. Aware of the looming presence, he immediately masked his reiatsu indefinitely and proceeded down the trail of her sister's location. Whether or not the holocaust had ended 200 years ago, it was safe to say that the genocide won't be over till they've gone completely extinct.

Both auras, hers and the Shinigami's, had grown more intense the nearer he went, up until he found out that their spiritual auras were within close proximities, both of which were inside an abandoned building. Mustering up his courage and stamina, he didn't bother to climb up the stairs – he ran through the walls instead, if this would mean getting to her faster.

The scene wasn't exactly what he expected. He entered a random window of the floor they were in, and carefully leaned on a wall inside the room. Leaning back to peek, the Shinigami was there, a man wearing the standard shihakusho – a black robe and hakama. Being captain-level, the man wore a white, sleeveless haori with an armor piece attached by his left shoulder. An elaborate insignia of some sort of flower – a daffodil*, Ryuuken noted, was visible on the armor piece.

But the one thing he noticed the most was that his sister was there, conversing with the Shinigami. He was too far away, hence her speech was intelligible. He saw the bandage wrapped around her head.

He clenched his hand into a fist with the sight of seeing her sister injured. Though, he was well aware that the Shinigami posed no threat to her sister. But still, he probably doesn't know of her Quincy descent as of yet, and who knows what that Shinigami would do when he finds out.

Ryuuken readied his bow, and pinpointed at him. He fired.

-

There was no notable scream when Isshin's right shoulder was pierced by his assailant's arrow. Isshin winced at the pain, dropped to the ground, and groaned instead. Masaki gazed at his injured form in astonishment, before facing his brother.

"Ryuuken, stop!"

"I told you not to trust Shinigami, Masaki."

"But-"

"Get over here. Now."

"No!"

Her refusal made Ryuuken's eyes widen in shock. Surprised by her will, Isshin stood up, ready to face the man that shot him.

"What the hell are you doing Masaki? I told you to-"

"She said she didn't want to!"

Isshin, barely standing up, grunted from the pain as he answered. Ryuuken raised his bow again to his direction.

"You shut up, Shinigami. You have no business with us."

"Oh yes I do, you asshole. I'll tear you to pieces if you try and force her again."

He chuckled, and pushed his glasses further down his nose. Rather than thinking of his laugh as a joke, Isshin was disturbed by it. His enemy was none other than a Quincy, based from the component of the arrows – pure reiatsu. Ignoring the pain from the recent shot, he reached out to his Zanpakuto, but in his shock, his right arm was completely numb.

"Surprised, Shinigami?" He smirked before continuing. "It's simple, really. I just aimed for a special nerve in your shoulder that caused your arm to be paralyzed. Can't talk big now if you can't use a weapon, eh?"

Isshin clenched his teeth in his frustration. "I don't care about this arm. You must've forgotten... I still have the other."

Isshin grabbed his Zanpakuto with his left hand, and called out its name.

"Fulfill, Kokugengetsu*!"

In an instant, his ordinary-looking katana morphed into another. The blade grew slightly thicker, and the tip of the blade bended quickly, until the shape of the whole became similar to a crescent, almost mirroring the crescent moon in the night sky. Masaki was familiar to this, a blade that showered the blood of the hollow that attacked her. She feared this would turn into a brutal battle if she doesn't stop it first.

"Stop this! There's no need to fight!"

Ryuuken raised his bow. "Be quiet, Masaki. This is our fight. Step away from him, now."

As much as she dreaded the loss of their lives, she completely trusted her brother. She knew he wasn't some bloodthirsty combatant, and he would never take the life of another person. She thought differently, somehow, on Isshin when he said his words – he sensed a source of violence from it. She still believed in him, though, that he was just as passive as his brother. It was just a simple threat, she thought.

She refused once again. If staying in the middle of a battlefield would stop the battle, then so she would.

Isshin shoved Masaki aside uncaringly. "You should know better than to step into the middle of a battle, Masaki. Just stay back and watch. You shouldn't worry about a thing."

Masaki stared at the two men, their eyes writhing in fury against each other. Perhaps she wasn't strong enough to stop the battle, after all.

"This battle will be over before it starts, Shinigami."

In quick succession, he fired an arrow to Isshin's direction. Isshin effortlessly dodges the arrow with a shunpo and reappeared beside Ryuuken, sword ready to slice. Aware of his trick, Ryuuken raised his bow and blocked the incoming attack. With Isshin stuck, trying to drive the sword to his opponent and his limp arm dangling uselessly, Ryuuken took out a small silver tube from his left pocket while effortlessly keeping Isshin at bay.

Isshin recognized this fairly well – and it's obvious that this tube wasn't as innocent looking as it seems. Ryuuken threw the bottle in front of him. Glimmering light emanated from his hand as he chanted his words.

"A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed – Quintuple Binding Frames!"

The tube evolved instantly into a cylindrical chamber – it was too late for Isshin to dodge as he was engulfed completely by the cylinder, and was trapped. With a stern look, Ryuuken faced Masaki, fear developing in her chest from the constant fighting.

"Let's go-"

An unintelligible phrase erupted from within the chamber where Isshin was trapped. When Ryuuken finally noticed the flash of lightning igniting from the cracks of the chamber, he jumped away as fast as he could. His instinct was right – the lightning that he saw was none other than Shinigami magic, Hadou. However, he couldn't elude from the lightning fast enough. The lightning had directly hit his left arm, tearing off a part of the sleeve and slightly burning the area of impact.

"You're not the only one who can do magic, Quincy."

Ryuuken's face remained stern, ignoring his brag.

"Persistent, are we? Very well then."

Ryuuken raised his bow once again to fire another shot, but surprisingly, a hand gripped against his bow, forcing him to lower it.

A messy, blond man with a striped bucket hat stepped into the fight. Silence broke over the tedious battle.

* * *

A/N:

*_Daffodil _- This is the insignia of the 10th Division, currently Hitsugaya's division. The main reason why I made him captain of this division is because it was highly likely he was in this division due to the time of Hitsugaya's promotion as a captain. 20 years ago Isshin lost his powers, and some point around that time, Hitsugaya was promoted captain. It's highly likely, but it's just a theory - my explanation still doesn't prove anything.

*_Fulfill, Kokugengetsu _- Well, Isshin's a Shinigami of course, and I had to create a Zanpakuto for him. Sadly I'm not really creative in Japanese, hence why I simply took the Japanese terms for "Cutting (Koku)" and "Crescent Moon (Gengetsu)" and merged them together. So, you may ask, why nearly similar to Ichigo's? Ichigo was of course, gifted with the potential of a true Shinigami but not originally one. With the fact that Isshin is his father, I would've thought Isshin has a somewhat similar Zanpakuto compared to Ichigo. It's release phrase is just... meh. I didn't know what to put, so I tried my best. xD


	3. Chapter 3: Predictions and Perceptions

A/N: I apologize for the late chapter update. I sort of got a bit stuck up in the meantime with a lot of activities and I couldn't fully concentrate on this fic.

Thanks for the favorites and the review/s!

Reply to Animefan0410: Well, I do have my beliefs. I analyzed a bit and came to the conclusion that Masaki could possibly be a Quincy, but I still can't prove that. I still went on with it in this story though. xD  
If it's kind of messed up, really sorry about that. I never take my time to proofread my work, and I'm used to a way of typing dialogue without indicating who's saying which, so yeah, I'm really sorry. I'll try my best to type as clear as possible from now on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. For the third time now.

**Kurosaki Origins**

**by**

**Levan**

**Chapter 3:**

* * *

----------------------------------------------**Predictions and Perceptions**----------------------------------------------

* * *

"Typical."

Isshin rubbed the back of his neck and laid out his "bored-out-of-his-mind" expression.

"What do you want, ex-Shinigami?"

The man fixed his hat before answering him. "Now, now, maybe both of you should settle your differences and stop all this fighting. Both of you are attracting too much Hollow… Tessai could barely hold off such a huge number ya' know."

Ryuuken scoffed at him. "I didn't intend this fight, Urahara. He _did_," Ryuuken said, gesturing over to the man clad in full black.

"Well well, didn't know a Quincy like you had so much respect for a former-"

"Shut the hell up, you idiot. Typical enough, a piece of trash talks trash."

"Why you-"

Urahara had raised his palm, gesturing to him to stop. Perhaps it was practical that they should stop immediately – their fight won't make sense if they fight for a pride worth for others, and not for themselves. And yet, their battles had given such a bad overview for Ryuuken's sister.

"Thank god you came just in time, Urahara," Masaki remarked from the corner of the room. Urahara waved a hand to her to say his hello, and diverted his attention again to the two.

"I suggest we call it a night. Let's talk about all of this tomorrow, shall we?"

Under the shade of his hat the two men perceived a deliberate warning. Urahara, after all, was a man to be reckoned with, against Shinigami or Quincy alike.

And there they parted ways. Isshin followed Urahara, but not before looking back at the two siblings. A sinister look came from one, but a gentle smile looked the other.

-

Tomorrow followed quickly and Isshin woke up with a heavy yawn. He stood up, not bothering to clean up his mat, and headed to the dining room where breakfast waited. He slid the door open and much to his surprise, the two ex-Shinigami were already at the table.

"Slept well?" Urahara asked him. Isshin coiled his bandaged shoulder to check. Though it did sting him a little, he was glad that he could move his arm once again.

"Yeah, thanks a lot." Isshin sat down by the table. Tessai, the bulky old man by the corner disturbed him quite a bit, brought by the way he looks and how towering he was compared to Urahara. Urahara smiled at his expression.

"It's been a long time since you've seen Tessai, huh?"

"Uh… Yeah, I think. You look… unchanged, Tessai."

He didn't answer, and it bothered him even more.

"Don't worry, Isshin. He just likes… analyzing, that's all."

With a tray in hand, Tessai sprang up, surprising Isshin.

"I have some more work to do. If you two mind, I'll be going now."

"Sure, sure," Urahara replied, waving his fan up and down. The towering figure left the room, a convenience to the Shinigami captain.

"What brings you here, Isshin? Of all people, I didn't expect that you'd be the one sent here."

Isshin absent-mindedly processed his question into his mind, yet all in all aware of him as he gorged on the cuisine laid on the table for him. Over the fill of his mouth, he tried his best to make a coherent speech.

"I just forced myself, that's all. I wanted to go to the living world for once." He began stuffing himself with the food again, with Urahara casually staring at his eating. He continued. "I'll be going back in an hour or so anyway, I need to fill out my report."

"What was your business with that Quincy's sister, anyway?" Urahara asked him with a more passive tone. Isshin placed the empty bowl onto the table and sighed.

"Yesterday I was minding my own business. That's when she came, being chased by a hollow. All my life I didn't care about a soul. I saved her. But after performing konso-"

Urahara giggled in mid-sentence, breaking the awry mood of the Shinigami. "You performed Konso on a _human_? That must be the most idiotic thing I have ever-"

Isshin didn't hesitate to slam a fist down Urahara's skull. It was no joking matter, and even if it really does look stupid, it didn't mean he had to really bring that up in front of him.

"That's not the point! It wasn't my fault. I was just surprised that the girl was able to see me an' all."

"Ow, ow, ow…" Urahara caressed his head in an attempt to ease down the pain, and Isshin continued.

"Back to the story, then. So to cut the long story short, she got hurt, _accidentally_, then I brought her to that building to heal her and then that nerd arrived and shot me without even me noticing."

Urahara raised his head, all the while fanning himself with his oriental fan, as he delved into his thoughts for a moment. "Ryuuken… He's a real hothead, Isshin. You shouldn't have provoked him."

Isshin raised his tone against him. "Provoked _him_? He shot me without even noting he was there! It's not like I was doing anything to the girl!"

"You _do_ know what happened 200 years ago, right?"

He opened his mouth, but failed to find words. Perhaps Urahara made a point. Scratch that, maybe he had given a real explanation on how the Quincy reacted upon seeing his very own sister beside a Shinigami.

"The Quincy will forever have a grudge on a Shinigami, Isshin. Even I do admit that the Quincy weren't hospitable upon my arrival in Karakura town," Urahara explained.

"Hm. I guess so."

Isshin felt comforted on Urahara's words. His anger diminished from the Quincy just like that, and he ignored the past injuries he inflicted onto him. Ryuuken held a grudge that Isshin could not feel, and he pitied the naïve Ryuuken for suffering like that, his bretherens killed out to an extent that he was probably one of the last Quincies in this generation.

"Quincy's are supposed to be extinct about now," Isshin said right after his moment of epiphany, "What's a guy like him doing here in Karakura town?"

Urahara decided to tell him what he knew. "His great grandfather, together with his son, arrived here about a hundred years ago. Though the Shinigami believed they were extinct, a few generations were able to survive, including his. Being two groups of people who were judged unfairly by Soul Society, we got along with each other quite nicely. Though the Quincy don't normally reside in industrial places like these, it was safer for them to live here than a secluded area."

_Perhaps, this will be the reason why Karakura town shall be the next spirit-enriched land…_

"Urahara?" Isshin asked. Urahara had woken up from his blank expression and apologized profusely for him spacing out like that.

"Well then," Isshin continued, "I'm amazed on how they were able to continue life here, without the previous Shinigami noticing them."

"Over the years they've learned better ways of masking their presence. It was a necessity for them to avoid conflict, as much as I know."

The course of their conversation finally stopped when Tessai arrived with a message.

"They're here, Urahara. Should I send them in here for you?"

"Sure sure," Urahara agreed. Tessai nodded and left again.

"Who's they?"

"Just the Quincy."

"What?! Why the hell did you invite them over?"

"Huh? I thought you were okay with them now."

"I didn't say that!"

The door slid open suddenly and three people entered. Tessai, and the two Quincy. Isshin immediately straightened up and tried his best not to panic – he forgave Ryuuken now, yes, but what's left is that the overprotective brother wouldn't have forgiven him yet. That would mean trouble.

"Hey, Urahara," Ryuuken greeted.

Masaki, his sister, entered with a charismatic grin on her face, and greeted the ex-Shinigami as well. "Good morning, Urahara. " She noticed Isshin, fully healed, right by the end of the other table and faced him. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Shinigami.

Isshin blushed at her greeting. She felt so warm and kind unlike yesterday where she was afraid and hurt. It looked as if she changed overnight and didn't bother to dwell on what happened last night. Both sat, the eye-catching features of Masaki ever so tainting the likes of Isshin.

Urahara clapped his hands to catch attention. "Alright then… I invited both of you here to talk about the increase of Hollows in the area. You, captain, were stationed here, am I correct?"

Isshin nodded. "Yeah, but… They said it was better to send me here than any other, mainly because the Hollows were surprisingly stronger than usual. And I can't deny their increased strength, that's for sure."

"Hm. I did notice that the Hollows were getting smarter and smarter now, unlike a few days ago. One was clever enough to dodge one of my arrows," Ryuuken added.

"Who told you to butt in to my story, Ryuuken?" Isshin growled at him.

"Please keep quiet, both of you." Surprisingly, Masaki gladly shut them both up before this erupted into another fight. As predicted, the rivals silenced immediately, not bothering to burden themselves over Masaki.

"Okay, back to topic," Urahara finally interrupted, "Stronger and smarter hollows, eh? Is there… something wrong with their masks?"

"What's it about their masks?" Isshin asked curiously. Before Urahara got the chance to explain, Isshin gestured him to not bother. "I didn't find anything strange about them, except for the fact that they were stronger, and there were a lot more spawning than usual."

"Okay. Any theories, guys?"

Ryuuken gladly raised his hand. Isshin sneered at him.

"Whenever a crack opens and a Hollow enters the living world, there's something very awkward I sense beneath that crack – it was different from any other reiatsu I had ever witnessed before. Its strength seems to surpass a Gillian. It could be that there is a stronger type of Hollow that is ordering them to invade Karakura town – an Adjuchas, maybe?"

"That's quite an interesting find, Ryuuken. Thanks."

"It isn't much of a big deal. I was being observant, that's all."

"Observant my ass," Isshin slandered in, "It's child's play to be able to discover something like that."

"If it was child's play, a person as dumb as you could've brought that information out just as Urahara asked for theories. But I guess not," Isshin retorted.

Though Isshin felt extremely furious at how he countered his remark, he zipped his mouth shut and desired no conflict anymore – it was him who was starting the fights anyway, and upon this realization, he just wanted to look like the good guy for once. Urahara broke the silence and speculated on the situation.

"Adjuchas, you say? Did you ever think it could be a Vasto Lorde?"

All eyes moved to Urahara's lips. Masaki was confused at the name, but Isshin and Ryuuken was knowledgeable enough to know that a Vasto Lorde isn't something to be underestimated, but feared.

"A Vasta Lorde?" Masaki questioned.

"_Vasto_ Lorde, not Vasta," Urahara answered, "It's the highest class of Hollow that can be strong enough to even surpass a Shinigami captain's strength."

"Don't Vasto Lordes rarely appear in the living world? How exactly would a Vasto Lordes end up here, of all places?" Ryuuken felt like this was utterly ridiculous. A Vasto Lordes doesn't just pop up anywhere in the world, even more so to be sending Hollows in the living world.

"That, we'll have to find out. I think this'll be enough for now. You two should go home and rest." Urahara shrugged the two Quincies to leave, almost like he was eager to let them come home.

"Okay. Let's go, Masaki."

"Wait a minute, Ryuuken. I need to go to the bathroom. Wait for me outside, okay?"

Ryuuken felt reluctant to leaving her sister alone inside a foreign home, but her insistence persuaded him otherwise.

"Be quick."

Masaki nodded obediently, and went ahead to the bathroom. Ryuuken stayed by the entrance of the Urahara shop and sat on the platform to wait.

Meanwhile, Isshin was left alone with Urahara and Tessai inside the dining room.

"Isshin, do you remember the incident a hundred years ago, that involved me and Tessai?"

Isshin searched through his memories and caught the image – a flash of grotesque images, with nearly half a dozen captains and vice-captains; faces completely covered in a substance unknown to him, but clearly entered his mind, that it was Hollow masks.

"The… Vizard incident."

"I'm glad, you still remember that. I have a gut feeling that something related to that incident is happening here right now. It could be that Ryuuken's predictions are correct and a Vasto Lorde is responsible for the increase in Hollows."

"Related? Related _how_?"

"Your vice-captain is coming here, now. I can't explain it to you just yet, but remember this. Don't include your report about the Quincy, or the Vasto Lordes theory. You have to keep it a secret at all costs. Just report about the increase in strength and population of the Hollows to Seireitei. Trust me, alright?"

"Uhh… Alright, if you say so. Even if I'm curious to find out, the way your eyes speak means I shouldn't really care about it." Isshin stood up, now ready to leave.

"Heh. Pretty good perception for a brand new captain, Isshin. And before you go…"

Isshin stopped sliding the door halfway to listen attentively to Urahara's statement.

"Don't trust your vice-captain. Don't trust Aizen."

Isshin was shocked even more by Urahara's claim. The tone of his voice was gradual enough to make him realize that he was being utterly serious, and was a serious matter. He swallowed.

"…Alright."

Isshin left the room, with a sickening feeling inside his chest that there were some things that were meant to be kept a secret.

"You're going?"

Isshin coiled his head to the right and to his surprise, Masaki was still inside the shop. She was standing along the hallway, clearly suggesting that she was eavesdropping on them, but Isshin decided not to bring that up, fearing that it would hurt her feelings.

"Yeah. I'm still a Shinigami, and I have my duties like you humans… or rather, Quincies too."

Isshin smiled at her before turning around and walking around to leave. Before he even reached the door to the inside of Urahara's main shop, Masaki grabbed his wrist as he was about to leave.

"Don't go just yet. Please."

"I'm really sorry, but I have to. I'll probably be back to investigate but I don't really know when that'll be. Take care of your brother, Masaki. He may seem mature, but he's as stubborn and arrogant as a child can be."

Isshin noticed the sadness pouring from her frown, almost as if she was losing a dear friend. Though he regrets leaving her in this condition, his duties as a Shinigami must always come first. That's what his grandfather had thought him.

"You saved my life. I owe you a lot for that. At least, tell me your name," Masaki pleaded.

"Isshin. Isshin Yamamoto."

"Then thank you, Isshin. I hope you come back soon."

"Don't worry, I will."

Isshin entered through the door and ambled to the exit, without bothering to look back. His departure alerted Ryuuken in some way as he passed by him.

"You're-"

"Leaving? Yeah, that's right. I have to fill out my report to the Soul Society. And don't worry, I'll say no word about you two. Urahara already warned me about that."

"You swear you go by your word, Isshin?"

"Of course I do."

Right after his answer, Isshin disappeared from his view. Isshin used his shunpo technique and left the area in quite a hurry. Ryuuken adjusted his glasses as the morning sun reflected on his eyes – he was going home relieved now. Newfound conflict, or newfound friend, he couldn't say. But all he knows is that he can be trusted, just like Urahara.

-

Isshin arrived by the river, awaiting the Senkaimon that was supposed to fetch him. At last, a flash of light irritated his eyes as a rural gate opened before him. A figure emerged from the blinding light.

"Ah, Captain Yamamoto. Your grandfather's been waiting for you."

"I know, Vice-captain Ichimaru. He always waits."

Isshin's face was firm but Gin Ichimaru's was always a mystery to him. He always had that smile that was indecipherable. Even he, complimented by Urahara as someone who has a good perception over people's expressions, was perplexed with the enigmatic grin that always haunted his mind. And he remembered Urahara's words as he saw him.

_Don't trust your vice-captain. Don't trust Aizen._

He entered without a foreshadowing mark on his face that he suspected Gin. Isshin disappeared into the Senkaimon. Honestly, with Gin's face curled into an everlasting smile that told either good or bad, Isshin couldn't help but trust Urahara, and be on high alert.

Urahara's eyes said so, he previously remarked.

* * *

A/N: OMG! Isshin **Yamamoto**?! **Gin Ichimaru **as vice-captain?!

Share your thoughts about it! And don't forget to point out contradictions! :)


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